Death Veil
by One-wiTHOut-sOul
Summary: AU. Late for a once in a lifetime opportunity, Amu takes a shortcut where her adventure begins. Not only is she kidnapped, she is told of her new status as Queen and the Prince of Shadows must marry and train her for the struggle ahead in finding Death Veil- a special mask that is and was the beginning of everything. AMUTO
1. Chapter 01 :: The Outsider

**FULL SUMMARY: AU. Late for a once in a lifetime opportunity, Amu takes a shortcut where her adventure begins. Not only is she kidnapped, she is told of her new status as Queen. The Prince of Shadows must marry and train her for the struggle ahead in finding Death Veil- a special mask that is and was the beginning of everything. AMUTO**

UPDATE (11th MAY, 2015): Okay! So, I reviewed this story over, and along the lines the plot shifted just a bit from its original idea. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own this anime but, I do own the idea as well as the OCs!

* * *

**The Outsider by A Perfect Circle (Resident Evil Soundtrack)**

_Help me if you can__  
__It's just that this is not the way I'm wired, so could you please__  
__Help me understand why__  
__You've given in to all these reckless dark desires?_

_You're lying to yourself again, suicidal imbecile__  
__Think about it, you put it on a faultline__  
__What'll it take to get it through to you, precious?__  
__I'm over this, why you wanna throw it away like this__  
__Such a mess, I don't wanna watch you_

_Disconnect and self destruct, one bullet at a time__  
__What's your rush now, everyone will have his day to die_

* * *

**Shugo Chara**

**Death Veil**

**Chapter 01 :: The Outsider**

**Pairing: Amuto**

A dangerous journey lay ahead...

That much he knew.

Existing in the darkest corner of the room, a group of shadows awaited their master's command. Advantageously, all were tall but some were gangly while others were brawny. From their ghostly head, horns of varying lengths, sizes and shapes protruded. Their forms flickered as they shifted away from the light cast by the large fire place across from them.

"Master, shall we retrieve her?" The Prince of Shadows' minions asked, bringing him back from his busy mind.

He continued to look outside the large Victorian styled window adorning dark, velvety curtains as his hand came up to ruffle his midnight blue hair— a stress relieving habit he adopted in the past few months. According to his intel, Hinamori Amu is the missing key to recovering the artifact, **Death Veil**. This artifact was created by the **Five Hua**, the ancient dragons that created Eristu (Earth) and the embodiment of humans and demons. This artifact, revealed to be a mask made of light and darkness, is a powerful relic which granted the user with great powers to rule over the Akuhei of the world the **Five Hua** originated from, but at a price. However, Amu may be that very exception to that rule… and the Prince of Shadows was going to use that.

"Yes…," he replied.

The underlings chanted their spell before a portal opened and they disappeared.

The Prince's advisor spoke up from the door, "Ikuto, in order for that to work she must have your mark and you know what that would mean. But even when you officially become king the **Death Veil **will still be difficult to possess. That journey is much tougher than it appears."

"I know that already Oga!" Ikuto turned away from the window to stare at the advisor; midnight blue eyes against emerald green. "I know that already, I've studied the legend too." He sighed and returned to gazing out the window and watching his kingdom. "I'm sorry…"

Oga shook his head of slightly grayed black hair in understanding, "No, it is okay. Having your father die did a great number on the kingdom and especially you, his son. The responsibilities that suddenly appeared, the great danger in retrieving the **Death Veil** and the immense stress of a kingdom depending on you for its safety; all add to your distress. But… taking the girl without her consent, I doubt she would appreciate it."

He knew that much. Yet, he still couldn't say anything in response. Ikuto wasn't tongue tied and left in a stupor. He honestly had no idea what to say. If he was in her position, he wouldn't respond positively to being captured and taken to a different world. He was desperate and he needed to prevent **Death Veil** from falling into the wrong hands.

Oga sighed; he'll just leave Ikuto to figure this out on his own. "I must retire to my room, good night."

"Good night."

This was the start of this adventure and was it a risky game.

**...**

"Bye Tadase-kun," Amu called out to her gay friend as she left the restaurant, her working hours finished. She worked as a part time pianist during the day but today she had an important appointment.

She glanced at her watch and cursed under her breath. She was late for her appointment at the new hotel, _**Italia**_. They were famous for their arts and they had chosen her to perform permanently (hopefully, she thought) as their nighttime pianist. She knew they were going to offer her a large sum of money to persuade her to take the offer; she also knew that they would give her a suite to stay in. Obviously, she would take it.

Amu looked to her left and saw an alleyway. Usually in the late afternoons, when the sun was still out; she had used it to get to her apartment and it was a quick trip. But now looking at it, she noted how it looked very sinister and dangerous. On any other day she would've just taken the longer way but she was extremely late for her once in a lifetime opportunity and she couldn't afford to lose it. She took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves before she walked into the alley and began her journey.

Walking through it would've been very nice if you'd forgotten the fact that gangs could be hiding in there, that it smelled of rotten food coming from multiple dumpsters and stray animals may be hiding in there ready to pounce on you and give you rabies. Though, so far so good, nothing had happened and she was grateful. As Amu was coming to a corner, she heard cats screeching and dogs howling before everything went dead silent.

Amu blinked. It was so eerily quiet. She looked around the alley again and found it to be even more intimidating and ominous. Out of the corner of her eye, she could've sworn she saw something much too large to be a cat or dog zip by. She paused to hear whether whatever she saw was behind her or not and feeling eyes on her form only answered what she already knew. She pretended to check her watch, using all her effort for her fear not to show, her hand shuddering slightly as she used the watch's reflective glass to see behind her. She didn't see much and let out a breath to calm her nerves. Although she saw nothing, didn't mean that fiend wasn't still there—in any case, her feelings were never wrong. So, she hurried her journey to a brisk walk, whatever it was, she didn't want it to know she knew of its existence. She needed to lull this predator into thinking she was oblivious to get away safely. The end of the route was only a few minutes away after all.

Again, she saw something out of her peripheral view— seemed like a few more just arrived. Amu refused to stop and make it easier to be caught. And then they appeared before her, stopping her in her track. Who were these people? That is, if what she saw really could be called that…

"I am _Gundan_: for we are many," the voices stated in multiple hissing voices, already answering her unasked question. They looked like shadows in the night, hiding in the darkest corners of the alley. From the looks of it, it seemed like a whole bunch of shadows hiding from the light; all so intimidatingly tall…

Amu was at a loss for words, too scared to even respond. She didn't like to let other people know that she was scared or nervous so she took in some air to allow her nerves to calm down. They paid no mind to her lack of response and spoke once more.

"We were sent by the Great Prince of Shadows, Master of Many and Refuge for the Wanted. He wants us to retrieve something special for him." Their whispery cacophony of voices said.

"Great," Amu finally spoke, happy she hadn't stuttered. "Do hope he finds what he is looking for." She was so close to the exit and was slowly edging her way out of the alleyway. She was so close to her safe haven, and against her better judgment, fear overtaking her form, pushed her to flee and she recklessly began sprinting out of the darkness. But Amu was pulled back by a large opaque hand and sucked into the hearth of the shadowy retrievers.

They consumed her in a powdery, purple hazed smoke which caused Amu to black out. As her eyes began to flutter close, in her blurry-eyed state she swore she saw mysterious sapphire eyes.

But why did she find those eyes so hauntingly alluring?

...

"Mmm…," Amu groaned as she awoke from her dreamless slumber. She got up slowly and rubbed her head, a slight headache being produced. The only thing she remembered was being consumed by darkness.

She felt silk beneath her finger tips and finally took in her surroundings. The place was beautifully decorated in the Gothic/Victorian theme. The walls were painted in a light color and with the different décor of bright and dark colors, brought out a nice flavour to the room. There was an archway, intricately designed with carvings by the mouth of the bedroom, signaling that what was on the other side of the archway held great things. She quite enjoyed the style, it being her favorite clothing attire. How did she even get here? And where exactly was here?

She got up from the bed and felt a draft in some places. Looking down she saw that her clothes had been changed into a black silk kimono styled gown touching her ankle with a much too high slit reaching mid-thigh. The dark color of it contrasted well with her creamy skin tone, though. Amu blushed, _Who changed me__?._ She walked over to the large black door with elaborate white carvings on it, which was on the other side of the archway, and opened it. She peered out of the door and looked both ways in the hallway, seeing no one she stepped out.

All too suddenly, a hand reached out in front of her and covered her mouth and another hand wrapped around her waist before Amu was pulled back into the room. Amu instinctively began screaming and thrashing about. All sounds fell on deaf ears, though, since the hand muffled any sound of distress. Moving just right, Amu was able to bite into the hand over her mouth, producing a yelp from the perpetrator. She was none-too-gently thrown onto the bed and stopped her movements as she took _him _in. The offender flicked his wrist, examining the damage done by Amu's surprisingly harsh bite. He was bleeding but seemed unfazed and soon looked up at her. He brought his hand up to his lips and articulately licked his wound, never once breaking eye contact. Amu felt uncomfortable, a much too intimate gesture and so she looked away. Finding courage, she looked up and came across familiar sapphire eyes… Her eyes widened as she realized these were the eyes seen in her hazy state. She took in his appearance, blushing as she realized he was dressed only in a pair of boxers and averted her eyes. It looked like he just came out of the shower.

_How did I not hear him in a shower? _Amu thought as she slowly found herself. When she returned her gaze to him, the glare she gave him startled him into reciprocating a harsher glare of his own.

"Who are you, what did you do to me and why am I here in this…place?" Came Amu's unwavering voice, her gaze startled slightly in response to how harsh his glower was. _He kidnapped me… why should he be glaring at me? _Amu returned her scowl, hoping to appear much more intimidating than she felt.

His gaze did not change as a sinister chuckle escaped his lips and studied her before replying. "I am Tsukiyoumi Ikuto, Prince of Shadows. You're here in my kingdom: _Shadou Okouku_," Ikuto gestured around the room with his injured hand. "You'll come to know and understand its ways very soon. I haven't done anything to you, yet. Much more entertaining if you're awake in my opinion."

Amu blinked in response though she kept up her glare. She was oddly confused by what he said. _This guy is nuts! Shadou Okouku? _That didn't even exist on any map or globe Amu has ever seen, she was sure of it. For God's sake, this guy, although quite beautiful seemed to be lacking a sane mind. Amu was positive. _Why would I need to learn of this place? I am not staying. I am not a pitiful captive who can't defend herself. I will find a way out of here. If he got me here, I'm sure he can take me back._He closed the distance between them, eyes darkening the closer he got. She defiantly stood her ground, noticing how he never broke eye contact with her. She refused to act like a cornered animal and came face to face with Ikuto. Just a breath away from touching, but neither broke their stance. Each displaying their dominance. Amu was never one to back down from a fight. She was much stronger than she looked and much more intense than she seemed.

"I wonder if knowing you are my Queen might change this defiant side of yours." Ikuto's cool, collected voice whispered.

Amu snorted. "Queen my arse," she wavered slightly; he was definitely crazy. Queen? Does that mean he's a King? What was he saying?! Amu was much too confused. But he was definitely irresistible. His masculine scent of cologne and something Amu would have to assume was his fragrance bombarded her senses and she couldn't resist how her legs shook—not in fear— but in want. His tall, lean and muscled physique was deliciously masculine as it towered over her small physique and then his gorgeous eyes and soft, silky looking hair of matching colour was definitely, undeniably, most assuredly alluring. Why was she noticing all these details? Why was she being pulled under a spell the longer she stared into those azure eyes? Amu's lips trembled the longer she took in all of him. Did he always have such long eyelashes that seemed to brush against his perfect complexion every time he blinked? She didn't know anymore what to think and her demeanor was weakened enough that Ikuto took it to his advantage. He closed the distance and roughly captured her lips, emphasizing who was the dominant one.

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**Whelp, hope this was interesting enough! Just a little something to get started. Chapters will get longer as this story progresses. Any errors, please let me know!**

**Please leave a review of what you thought and favs! **

**Thank you ^^**

**One-wiTHOUt-sOul**


	2. Chapter 02 :: In My World

**SUMMARY: AU. Late for a once in a lifetime opportunity, Amu takes a shortcut where her adventure begins. Not only is she kidnapped, she is told of her new status as Queen. The Prince of Shadows must marry and train her for the struggle ahead in finding Death Veil- a special mask that is and was the beginning of everything. AMUTO**

* * *

**In My World by ROOOKIEZ is PUNK'D**

_Dark side in my heart is...__  
__It's always bringing in the sadness that just hides in my past.__  
__It's Alright, cause it's nothing to me__  
__I'll stretch out my arms and fight this fight_

_My life is in my control.__  
__I'm gazing at this world, but I can't feel my burning soul__  
__It's like I don't exist, and I can't find the power to protect myself._

_When was my path chosen for me__  
__Right down this road I've long avoided?__  
__Cause now there's no one left to be my light._

_I won't let fate be my guide__  
__I will stand and will make my cry for pride__  
__Ah Ah Ah Alone in my world.__  
__Inside this vibe of love._

_Reality and all twisted prayers__  
__Make all my dreams and days ahead just fall apart.__  
__Throwing all the lies away is pointless__  
__Goodbye, precious life_.

* * *

**Shugo Chara**

**Death Veil**

**Chapter 02 :: In My World**

**Pairing: Amuto**

It was just a game.

It was what Ikuto had to play to get this to work. One wrong move and everything would change.

It was a gamble.

Amu was shocked, to say the least. Not only did she kiss him back, but her body had the audacity to moan and let him know she liked it. His kiss was blisteringly good and addicting but he was her god-damned captor she remembered. She rested her hands on his chest and with one more final warning to her brain and body not to get lost in the world of pleasures, she pushed him away. The kiss broke abruptly and Ikuto stepped backwards from the force. She wiped her mouth and was disgusted with herself. She straightened herself and stood up from the sitting positon on the bed. She needed to not give him that much leverage on her. And so she did what any animal who needed to come off stronger would do, she fluffed her tail.

Amu slapped him and spoke quietly, a pink hue to her cheeks. "Never, without my permission."

It wasn't the smack that quite bothered him, it was that he was stupid enough to just kiss her and have his way like she was any other whore he had had in his room. He had to play the game right and this did not help. He wanted her to be willing to be the queen but thrusting it on her would work too, he finalised. Boy, was he infuriated. He returned his gaze to her in a glower.

Amu expected him to toss her out the window for what she did. After all, if what she pieced together so far was of any truth, he was a King. And hitting someone with that much power would result in some sort of punishment. She didn't regret slapping him. Oh no, that was much too sweet of a move on her behalf. However, he did sought her out; so she must be worth something. She must know something that he needed.

His glare was expected, and she refused to back down as she returned his gaze with her own intense stare. And when he smirked, that left Amu more than bewildered. Fear was ebbing its way into her and that was not good. His grin took a sinister turn as he saw in her eyes a flicker of terror. Ikuto was pleased he could intimidate this pinkette.

He spoke slowly, "That's quite an arm you have." Ikuto rubbed his left cheek; it wasn't reddened by any means, but it would do to keep in her mind that she lashed out at him. Amu had spunk and he rather liked that. She dared challenge him on more than one occasion thus far and he was going to enjoy her. "That can definitely be used later-on during combat sessions. After all, it would be more useful to have a Queen that knows how to defend herself. You wouldn't want to get murdered that easily, now would you?"

Amu eyes widened. It would seem he wasn't kidding. _Why does he want me to be his Queen? I'm pretty sure there are plenty of other girls who'd throw themselves at him._ _Why am I contemplating this as if I believe in the gibberish he tossed at me? _She took a calming breath and smirked. She always knew she had quite an arm, but it was dissatisfying that with the force she had used on him, his face wasn't even reddened. She was worried, though. His grin spoke volumes of what he had in store for her even if she couldn't really name them.

"Thank you," Amu replied hotly. "Why am I to be the Queen? I know nothing of this place—_kingdom," _she corrected herself. She humoured him, if he really did think this was a kingdom. For all she knew, she was in some wacked out abandoned factory in some elaborate scam with a lot of special effects in terms of how they drugged her. Her gut told her otherwise and for a moment she was worried. She shook it off and continued. "I don't even want to be your Queen. I want to go back to my world." She huffed. "I know that you brought me here and you can very well take me back."

All very valid points. But, she didn't even know who or what she was in this kingdom. Ikuto was going to let her know. He was not going to give up on this chance to get the **Death Veil**. This artifact was vital for his kingdom. He mused on what to tell her first. What will least likely make her freak out? He didn't want to deal with a wailing woman who seemed like she'd throw a few punches at him to get her way. _Ahh, I know…_

"That's all very true, but as I said before you can always learn about _Shadou Okouku._ I honestly care not whether you're up to being the Queen but only you can take the throne. If it was just anybody who could, I'd have already gotten someone much more willing to fill in this position. Alas, it is not that fair or easy." He sighed but continued. "You are the key to **Death Veil. **A mask that was made by the **Five Hua, **who are the ancient dragons that created Eristu. This mask grants the user with great power. I need to get it but I can't without you, Amu. You carry special blood in you. You are the only one that has the Hikari's blood in you. And I'm the only one that carries Kurai's blood. These dragons, Hikari and Kurai, are the gods of Light and Darkness." He decided to pause. That was quite a mouthful he spilled.

Amu took it all in. She stumbled back in amazement and situated herself back onto the bed. This was really farfetched even for her, and she always had an open mind. _Dragons, Hua, Hikari, Kurai? _ All this new information stumbled about her mind and she was having a hard time grasping onto it. Ikuto had to be kidding! This was ridiculous. Amu burst into a laughing fit. And he spoke of it with such seriousness too!

Ikuto blinked. The pinkette exploded into a giggling fit. She honestly thought he was making this up. He shook his head. "We are Akumas."

Amu looked up from her laughter when she heard him speak again. She calmed down a bit before speaking, "Come again?"

Oh how he hated to repeat himself. He gritted out, "We are Akumas."

Demons? Now that was funnier! "Right, and I like to swim with Unicorns right by the river my best friend the Leprechaun hides his gold. If demons exist, please do prove it." And she was back to being a snickering mess.

He knew he was going to have to prove it. And within a blink of the eye, he evolved right before her. All noises seized as she watched in horrific awe. From head to toe, he was, in one word, deathly. His ears were elongated, resembling elfish elegancy, and adorned many intricate silver earrings. He no longer possessed sapphire eyes and instead it was completely black with red irises. His canines poked a bit over his lips but what caught her attention was the most elegant and unique tattoo she's ever seen. Resembling a wraith, full of twirls and smoky tendrils almost dragon-like and in the middle there was a beautiful weapon-like image… it was an elaborate depiction of emotions. Ikuto passed a hand through his hair and it was then Amu was brought back to admiring the rest of his form. His nails were now ebony and out of the corner of her eye something flitted behind him. She looked behind him and was surprised to see he now had a tail. It looked dangerous with its metallic armory but was it a beauty. Ikuto was no longer in only his underpants. He was adorned with feudal era clothing. A black haori with red dotting its sleeves, long fingerless gloves that joined at his back, and ebony hakuma. Finishing off the exotic outfit were very elaborate armor pieces placed in vital areas. He was… magnificent.

Amu was hit with the harsh truth of what he said. Maybe what he said wasn't complete bullocks but she still couldn't wrap her head around being a demon herself. How could she be a Queen, how could she be a good ruler? Kind, fair, just… Every good characteristic she's read in her fiction novels. She shook her head. Why was she thinking as if she had already accepted being an Empress?

"Do you still doubt?" Ikuto's voice broke her out of her reverie.

Amu opened her mouth and closed repeatedly, inaudible words escaping her lips. She was at a loss for words once again. She was confused but surprisingly a little more accepting of the situation. Just a little. Her gut was right, she was not in her world anymore. She cleared her throat and tried speaking again. "I-if I do become the Empress, what would I have to do?"

"Well, you would just have to find out," and thrust into the world of leadership she was!

She huffed in response. "Why won't you answer my questions?"

"Ask the right questions and you will get the answers you want."

Amu was upset. Right questions, huh? She could play this game. But shit. Why was she so curious about this role? Why was she being drawn into this wickedly, twisted but beautiful world?

She could just stay a while, learn what she wanted and escape, she realised. There had to be more than one way out of this place. And if she gets the title to be Queen, she could just use it to her advantage to leave this place that much faster. Oh, how wrong Ikuto was to even think Amu wouldn't have her own game up her sleeve. Oh no, she was just getting started. If he wanted to play the mysterious card, she'll bite and take the bait.

"There is no other way out of this place, so please remove that god awful expression from your face." Ikuto replied dryly, looking at his hand. The teeth marks already non-existent.

Amu's face warmed. She really did read like an open book. She crossed her arms, and with all her might, tried to look much more dignified than she felt as she replied hotly "Thanks." She huffed before continuing, she had a few questions she needed answered. And even though he refused to answer the first one and answered an unasked inquiry, perhaps her few select questions would do. "What were those shadowy things you sent? To be quite honest, not the best way to pick up a girl."

Ikuto turned towards the beautiful archway, turning right instead of crossing towards the door Amu had gone through. He completely ignored her.

Amu growled softly. What an arsehole! He said to ask the right questions. Then what was the right question! She quickly marched after him, taking a swift turn to the right. She saw him rounding up a corner; my god, was this room bigger than she expected. She caught up to him and tugged on his black yukata. "Listen here Ikuto, I am tired and frustrated. I am furious right now, actually. By all means, keep pushing it 'cause you'll find yourself without a Queen." Amu had enough and turned, heading back to the room she first woke up in.

Ikuto smirked. She definitely was a spirited one but perhaps there was more to her. He glanced behind him and spoke, stopping her in her tracks. "If you want answers, you must ask the right questions. Follow me and let's play a game. Each loss equals one question from the winner and an answer from the loser."

He continued through the winding path and was met with his special red door adorning a beautiful skull knob. He knew Amu was hot on his tracks, her quickened footsteps echoing throughout the hallway. He opened it and kept it open for her until she walked through and he closed the door behind her. Amu stomped in, her fists tightening until her knuckles were white. She was pissed, yes, but, he provided a way to get what she wanted. If he wanted a game, oh she could provide him with competition. But all anger was forgotten as she took in the room.

This room, unlike the one she was in moments ago, held unto the feudal era feel. Using dark, ebony mahogany wood around the room definitely confirmed how sleek and elegant it was. From one end of the wall, there was a gold opaque sliding door, with what appeared to be the same design as the tattoo on Ikuto's neck. Amu deduced, that it was this Kingdom's seal or crest of some sort. On the other side of the wall, sliding doors with misty white windows covered the expanse. Though the sliding doors were closed, keeping the room seemingly small, Amu knew the room was definitely bigger than it appeared. She was happy it wasn't overbearing in colour nor in decorations. Being sparsely decorated with a few choice beautiful vases of varying sizes, colours and styles and a few orchids dotting these vases, there was a large round table in the middle. This grand table could seat at least six people comfortably and eight people if they needed to. But only four chairs, with elegant, high-raised backs and cool folklore characters etched into the armrests were present. In the centre of the table, there laid a bright red roulette wheel. Amu walked closer to the table to inspect the devise.

"Have a seat," Ikuto's voice cut through her mind and she numbly followed his command. This room had her distracted. It was a sight to behold, even if didn't seem so at first glance. She didn't know when he decided to take a seat at what looked like the main seat, but she inadvertently took the seat directly opposite his. Forcing her to keep eye-contact with him.

She cleared her throat. "What is this room?"

"My personal game room," came Ikuto's curt reply.

Her eyes flitted back to the wheel and noticed that in each section, different pictures were there, perhaps representing what game they were to play. She recognized a few: one looked like cards, another looked like darts and this last one she could recognize looked like billiards (pool). She wasn't very good with billiards and hoped that they weren't playing that.

"I assume you know how a roulette wheel works?"

Amu nodded.

"Great. I will spin this wheel, whatever the ball lands on will be the game we engage in. Sounds fair?"

Again Amu nodded. She was in a trance. The whole atmosphere changing as soon as Ikuto began spinning the wheel and setting the ball with it. Amu held her breath. Hoping to whichever higher being up there would take pity on her and make sure the ball did not land on the pool icon.

The ball began slowing down, bouncing every so often over every segments. It rolled over an image looking like a snake and seemed like it was beginning to stop on the billiards icon. But with a stroke of luck on Amu's part, it rolled one last time to the icon next to it. An image of an animal with horns was what she saw. Amu didn't know what that could've possibly mean but she hoped she knew how to play it.

Ikuto chuckled as he noticed Amu's horror stuck expression when she thought it would land on billiards only to be erased by a satisfied grin when it landed elsewhere.

"Bullshit is the game." Ikuto noticed her confused look and continued. "Also known as Cheat or I Doubt It."

Amu grinned. She was really good at hiding her lies when she played this game. "Bullshit it is."

Ikuto nodded, a devious smile spreading on his lips. The chair on Amu's left dropped unexpectedly and popped back up with a new player. But something was strange about this new person. Black hair, blank, expressionless pink eyes… Amu was about to question but Ikuto spoke up.

"He's just a puppet. It's better to have more than two players for this game."

_Makes sense_, Amu thought. It wouldn't be as intense or interesting if it were just two players. The roulette disappeared and up appeared a deck of cards. It was a beautiful deck. Gorgeous faeries dotted the cards. The puppet began dealing the cards and so the game began.

The three players placed the paired cards in the center.

With the puppet having only ten cards in his hand, nine cards in Ikuto's hands and six in Amu's hand, the game was going to be a quick one if it was played right. Since Amu was dealt first, she was to start the game. She looked at her cards. Two aces.

"Two aces." And she placed her cards, face-down, on to the table.

Ikuto went next and placed his cards down. Only in sequential order this game can go. "Three ones."

Amu would've called BS for she had a one of diamonds herself but he had only said he had three. The puppet played then. "Four twos."

A game that seemed it would have ended in only a few minutes turned into a game that lasted over twenty minutes. Amu had called Ikuto twice and the puppet three times already. She was never caught, thankfully. But Ikuto had to wonder how she could just look at someone and just know that they were lying about their cards. This was more than deducing based on what she had in her hands and what she remembered was played. He could use this skill of hers to his advantage. Amu always followed her gut about these things. She was never led astray yet.

Amu let out a breath. Final cards in her hand. She placed them down in the centre. "Two Queens."

Ikuto doubted this pinkette really had two Queens. After all, he had two Queens himself and he could've sworn he remembered them being played before… He took a chance. He didn't want to lose; he only had one more card left. "Bull-Shit."

Amu smirked. "Wrong," and she flipped over her last two cards. Behold, there displayed two Queens! "I win."

Ikuto took the loss with begrudging acceptance. He lost to her. It's been a long time since he lost to anyone in these games. He blinked and sighed. He leaned back in his seat and rested his head on a fisted hand on the armrest. "I lost; as I said before I will answer your next Question. Only one."

And so the battle of wits began. Sometimes enjoyable, sometimes not.

So many inquiries Amu had. What were those shadowy things? What was that purple haze that knocked her out? What does being Queen entail? This **Death Veil** seemed so important for this kingdom; she knew a little bit why she was needed as Empress but how did this mask work? Why did _Shadou Okouku _want this mask? Was it a protection of some sort? Was there anyone else searching for this artifact? If so, who is this other party? So many questions flew throughout her mind.

Amu blinked. She opened her mouth and closed it repeatedly. It was on the tip of her tongue, the question that she really needed answered right at this moment.

"I don't have all day to sit and watch you gape like a fish out of water. Spit it out already Amu."

Her face warmed. She quite liked the way he said her name. She shook her head and finally spoke.

"What does being the Empress require? What am I to do?" And she was back to her first question at hand. Considering it was the reason why she was even brought to this kingdom, it needed to be answered. She still didn't say whether she'd accept the position or not.

Ikuto smirked. Again with this question. But he was required to answer, an oath between them since the game began. He took a few moments thinking over the answer. And then he spoke.

"You will just have to find out," it was much too cumbersome to explain all right at this moment. He had teachers for her that would gladly explain every aspect to her. But this was his answer. And he did not lie.

Amu stared blankly for a while. The same fucking answer! After all she went through to get what she wanted, the same blasted answer! She growled, pounding her fist once onto the table.

"Why won't you bloody give me the answer I want? You know what I am searching for. I asked you the right questions! Specifying what I wanted to know. Why this crap again?"

Ikuto chuckled. "You asked the right questions. I gave you the answer. I cannot help it, if you are dissatisfied with the response."

"You know what? I have had it!" Amu stood up and nearly reached right over to choke him but restrained herself. "I can handle disappointments. But you're sick to find pleasure in playing with my mind. You know what? I'm sorry your _highness_."Amu seethed, the game becoming forgotten. "Didn't know you also needed someone to specially stroke your ego and be your bloody toy. Not everyone was given everything they wanted. Some had to fight for one ounce of what they wanted in life. I was so close to getting where I wanted and you took that choice away from me! You mum and dad definitely spoiled you rotten. Have fun wiping your arse with gold."

Ikuto kept his poker face up. Only his eyes burning with the rage he felt. He got up and walked towards the door. He opened it and spoke lowly, gritting his teeth and keeping his anger at bay, "You know nothing…"

And then he left.

Amu would've smirked in triumph but found herself frowning at the anguish in his parting words. It was going to be a long time before she could go back to her world, if at all by now.

* * *

**A/N: And chapter 2 is out! I hope you guys enjoy this story thus far. Obviously things are going to get heated! Amu isn't a scared, useless girl. Oh no, she is quite devious and I love that, lol. **

**Sorry for the late chapter, but a few things came up. Anyway, hope it wasn't a letdown! **** Look out, there's more to come!**

**Feel free to leave reviews and favs! ^^**

**One-wiTHOut-sOul**


	3. Chapter 03 :: Welcome to the Show

**SUMMARY: AU. Late for a once in a lifetime opportunity, Amu takes a shortcut where her adventure begins. Not only is she kidnapped, she is told of her new status as Queen. The Prince of Shadows must marry and train her for the struggle ahead in finding Death Veil- a special mask that is and was the beginning of everything. AMUTO**

* * *

**Welcome to the Show by Britt Nicole**

_Now's the time, get in line, don't be afraid tonight__  
__We're gonna take you high, before you realize__  
__'Round and 'round you'll go, up and down, never slow__  
__Feel the excitement grow, oh__  
__This is where you let go_

And put your hands u-u-up  
We're gonna have some f-u-u-n  
We've only just beg-u-u-n  
And it's too late to r-u-un, you can't run  
So put 'em u-u-up  
We're gonna have some f-u-u-n  
Turn up the bass let it b-u-u-mp  
We've only just begun, and you can't run

_Hands high like a roller coaster  
This love is taking over  
Take us higher here we go  
Oh, oh, oh  
Welcome to the show  
Gravity we're defying  
'Cause we were made for flying  
We're about to lose control  
Welcome to the show_

* * *

**Shugo Chara**

**Death Veil**

**Chapter 03 :: Welcome to the Show**

**Pairing: Amuto**

Irritated.

Angry.

Frustrated.

That's what Ikuto felt right at this moment. He sighed and face-palmed. She knew nothing. She didn't know how stressed and exasperated he was. She didn't know what tragedy befell him. She didn't know how their blood was just the beginning of this tale. She didn't even know what this journey held.

He needed this mask.

A muffled yelp caught his interest.

"Wait! What are you guys doing? Hey, HEY!"

Ikuto chuckled. That's one way to introduce her to her new role.

"You arsehole!" Oh, how Ikuto couldn't help the grin from splitting his face in half as he heard his pinkette screaming profanities from his room. Oh, how this was great. He left her alone for a week; no contact, three meals a day and no way to leave his quarters. He needed time to cool down and she needed time to herself. Not only to adjust to being thrust into a new world but to also work through a melt-down.

He felt kind of bad for leaving her all alone, but he knew she didn't want anyone around when she went through what she did. He couldn't help but smile when he thought of her melting down. A part of him wished he could have been there to see it, oh how he'd relish the sight.

…

Amu huffed. She was vexed to have Ikuto's words bother her so much that she sat down in the game room for much longer than she anticipated. But when she finally got up and left the room, she took no time in beginning her exploration. This room was huge. It seemed like she was left alone to her own devices, and well she'd like to think she knew how to entertain herself. So she pushed away from the dreaded red door and retraced her steps back to the main room. She noticed there was a royal blue door to the right of the bed and when she opened it, there she saw the most magnificent bathroom. Although the walls were an off-white, the decor made up for its blandness. There was a large black and gold trimmed bathtub, a shower fit for more than two and a stunning countertop (done in the same black and gold combo) spread across one wall with two equi-distanced wash-basins. Further into the bathroom, passed the arch that had luxurious curtains separating her from the doors on the other side was what she found out to be the toilet. It was nice to have that kind of privacy. She left the bathroom, she didn't have to use it for now, but it was definitely good to know where it was when she did need it.

_What to do?_ Amu thought. She had a few ideas, but a certain blue-haired bastard wasn't present. So she was left to explore this large expanse and so far, she was happy with what she found. She noticed warm light shining on the bed through the curtains on one side of the wall and opted to investigate there next. Pulling the curtains back, Amu was face to face with a heart-stopping view of this new Kingdom. With the window being the same size as the wall, the panoramic view that was displayed was not only strikingly twisted but she noted how far up she was. From her view, Amu saw a path leading, from presumably the castle, to the large town that looked like it was bustling with the late evening rush; and if she strained her eyes to see further, she saw a body of water to the right of the town. The sun, unlike Earth's, was not the soft warm orange, yellow light she knew but a pale lilac that bathed this land in a sort of twilight hue. She hated to admit it, but this land was much more dangerously gorgeous than she ever expected that for one moment, she thought it wasn't so bad to be here. And maybe it wasn't. But Amu stepped away from the window, becoming a little queasy the longer she realized how high up she was. Amu was deathly afraid of heights.

She crossed back to the hallway passed the intricate archway in the main room and explored the hallway to her left. She opened each door she saw as she continued but to her chagrin, all were locked. All five were locked. Amu decided to go down the hallway on the right and found out that the only door that opened, was that damned red door. Again, she noted that in total there were only five doors. She also noted that except for that one special red one, these doors were all plain dark wood. Amu huffed again, finally deciding that the doors she first opened was where her new exploring would begin as well as pick up.

Amu was back at those large intimidating double doors. She was a bit nervous but she was excited. She may have been brought here against her will, but there were pros to being here. No bills to worry about, no need to work to survive in a money eating world. She was in a very magical place… a magical kingdom… in a magical castle. Obviously, she knew it was her childish side coming out now, basking in such a fun moment, but she knew it couldn't be this perfect. She was to be Empress. She had to lead. With great responsibility came… oh god, she could die. People could be out to kill her. Ikuto did say she should learn to defend herself so she wouldn't die that quickly as his equal. Was he kidding about that? She hoped so. She really didn't want to be in a world where it seemed killing was a normal thing. After all, Ikuto spoke of it with such ease.

Amu sighed and shook her head. _Silly me, _she thought before she grinned and placed her hands on the door handles. She turned them and… it was bloody locked. She was being restricted, she realized. She spent about a few hours in the place exploring before she figured out she was trapped in the confined space. She was being kept in a fucking cage? What was she: a feral animal? Amu snarled. She was such an imbecile to think after what she said to him, he wouldn't treat her like what she now felt like.

A captive.

She growled. And toggled the handles, knocking on the grand doors every so often and screaming at the top of her lungs, hoping that there would be someone outside, passing by that would come to her rescue. And no one came; her voice going hoarse, her lungs burning and her hands raw from being used as drum sticks against the doors after what felt like an eternity but in fact was merely another few hours.

Amu lasted much longer at her cacophony of noisy pleas to draw much needed attention than even she expected. But she was desperate. She definitely rejected the idea of being Empress. She definitely hated being here; kidnapped no less! She slid down the doors, resting her back on it, her knees pulled into her chest and her arms wrapped securely around herself, in a self-soothing manner. She sighed and bit her lips, refusing her trembling lips to burst into a fit of rage and self-pitying weeping. Amu rested her head on her knees.

She stared numbly at the wall obliquely opposite her with tapestry hanging on it.

And blinked every so often.

There on the drape was a depiction of a Fae couple who held onto a vine-basket holding five dragons of pure white, midnight black, light violet, blazing red-orange and pastel pink/grey. Amu found the art to be beautiful. The Fae woman looked fondly at the dragons; almost like a mother looks at her baby for the first time.

Amu closed her eyes and only then, did she realise how tired she was. All adrenaline rushing through her veins that day ceased and her shoulders sagged at how weak she felt. She didn't feel hungry but knew she hadn't eaten since that night she was taken by a swarm of darkness. How much time has passed since she's been here? From what she pieced together or could remember, it was only a day since waking up here and who knew how long she was out for in the first place. Her eyes drooped every so often, until they no longer stayed open. Light snoring was heard and soft breathing was the only indication that she was still alive. Amu was asleep. And she let the pain and worries for one day slip her mind until the next.

Amu rolled over and stretched her body, hearing the satisfying cracks of her bones loosening before curling back into the warm and soft comforter that was much softer than her comforter and smelled nothing like her apple scented softener she used on her bed linens. Amu froze and her eyes popped open. Everything from yesterday came rushing back, hitting her with a force she was not ready to deal with as soon as she woke up. Her eyes watered a bit and tears threatened to fall as the reality of the situation hit her; she was no longer in a world she once called home, she wouldn't be able to see her family whenever she felt like it, in fact maybe never again nor her dear friends. Her family must be worried sick about her; she hadn't called them since she was taken and by now they had to be alarmed. It was mandatory that she speak with her family once a day. A few tears cascaded down her face but she quickly wiped them away. Crying like this only pushed all thoughts south and Amu refused to give up hope. She knew there had to be another way out of this god forsaken kingdom that Ikuto refused to tell her about. She sniffed and wiped her face. She wasn't giving up just yet. She would just have to look a little harder!

Maybe it was in Amu's mind, but perhaps thinking of her family made her imagine the sweet scent of blueberry waffles and maple syrup. And was that coffee she was smelling? She swallowed thickly and her stomach growled its impatience. Amu hopped out of bed and followed that lovely aroma into another room separated by an archway she never noticed until now. There on a cute dining table was a large plate of one of her favourite breakfast foods. And behold a teapot of coffee! Oh blessed morning! She sat down, ready to eat greedily everything from her plate but paused. Someone put this here. Meaning, the door was unlocked for a few moments while she was asleep to put this together. Hmm… maybe there was a pattern to this feeding schedule. And perhaps she could use it to her advantage. She would need to get into that later, because right now she couldn't wait a second longer before eating. She knew she didn't need to worry about being poisoned, after all Ikuto would be thoroughly pissed if that happened.

She leaned back and patted her tummy with the most pleased smile she's had since arriving. "Compliments to the chef!" Amu all but spoke out to whoever would be willing to keep an eye on her to know when to come into the room to leave food. She giggled at her idiocy. There wasn't another soul here watching her closely. Maybe, instead there were special demon powers or pets that could tell when she was sleeping or not paying attention. She snorted, that was really ridiculous. But… maybe it wasn't at all all that complicated. Perhaps it was a set time they came in. Amu checked her wrist and frowned at the loss of her watch that was given to her by her parents when she succeeded in her first piano recital when she was only fourteen. She gave a bittersweet smile at the memory. That was five years ago, now she was nineteen and ready to do something more than work at a music store. She was ready to make a name for herself outside of school. She frowned. That chance was down the drain, she missed her appointment. She sighed and shook her head, ridding her mind of such thoughts. She needed to be positive for this to work; for her to find a way out of here back to her family.

But she needed to find a clock or something to measure time. She needed to figure out this pattern. She got up and looked around the room, noticing a small bookshelf in the corner and as she got closer, there was another archway leading to a massive library with comfortable sofas and a writing desk. She heard the steady ticking of a clock as she was about to walk right past a bookshelf close to the opening. She looked thoroughly and on the top most shelf she saw the shiny thing peeking out between two books. Quite comically, this bookstand seemed to have books dealing with any change of time. Taking a deep breath, Amu found the ladder on the other side of the room and slid it over to the shelf she wanted and started climbing. She refused to look down and continued her trudge upwards and finally her hands grasped the mechanical object that told the time. Surprisingly, this clock showed thirteen hours; perhaps this kingdom measured time differently from Earth. Amu took her time coming down the ladder before crossing the dining room back to the bed where she sat down inspecting the clock. Obviously, she checked the writing desk for paper and any writing instrument and was pleased to find such items. She knew it took about half an hour to find this clock and maybe ten minutes or so before she found the food since it was still warm when she ate it and so she wrote down what she assumed was the time the food arrived.

Now it was showing 11:45 a.m.

She also wrote down the day she was kidnapped and counted the amount of days she was here for before she hid the paper and pencil in the nightstand, feeling pleased that she had some sort of a plan and a way to keep her wits about the time and days spent.

Amu was feeling icky, having not showered for at least a day and wasted no time trying out the bathroom. She relieved herself, hopped into the shower and washed her long, mid-back length hair; happy to scrub her scalp and rid it of the oily dirt she felt. She was surprised to notice that an outfit and women toiletries were present on the countertop. Perhaps this came the same time the food did. Amu hoped they hadn't come in while she was in the shower. She brushed her teeth and dressed in the clothes they provided. Another simple kimono garb was presented but instead of black, it was a pretty white with pink Sakura petals dotting the sleeves and the bottom of the skirt. Unlike the other one, there were slits on both sides reaching mid-thigh. She frowned but found the piece to make her feel pretty. Even the underwear they provided her made her feel sexy and she should have been appalled when all she found were sexy lingerie. But Amu enjoyed the feeling of dark purple, almost black lacey panties and bra. A guilty pleasure she's had since she turned sixteen. No one besides her best friend knew of her little secret.

She brushed her hair as she exited the bathroom and read the time on the clock she placed on the nightstand.

1:00 p.m.

Amu spent so long in the bathroom pampering herself? Wow, two hours can definitely fly. But what was there to do? Amu decided to do a quick sweep of the multiple rooms, trying every door she saw to see if it opened up into an exit but was met with same fate as yesterday: all were locked. Though, she did find the walk-in closet that was inside the bathroom. At least she knew where her clothes came from. She even saw clothes for Ikuto. She frowned as she thought of the blue-haired shit that brought her here.

She had to keep positive and so she lightly tapped her face with her hands to brighten up. Amu actually liked reading and knew what she would do for the rest of day. She passed through the dining room and stopped. A fresh plate of delicious Italian food awaited her. They came and it seemed just moments ago. Amu grinned, now she knew what time they came for lunch and quickly rushed back to write it down before scarfing down the food. She never realized how hungry she was, but she assumed it was because she hadn't eaten all day yesterday.

Amu was pleased to find a fiction section in the library, taking a few books she found interesting to the couch she found most comfortable. There she killed time, enjoying the silence while reading. One book was done and Amu was eager to start the next. Her stomach grumbled, making sure to remind her that it needed food. She hid a yawn behind a closed fist before stretching and leaving the couch in search of food. She frowned when she was met with an empty dining table. She went to check the time and it read 6:56 p.m. Maybe a few more minutes and food would be ready. Amu hoped that by the time she was finished with relieving herself, dinner would be prepared. And to her satisfaction, it was! She took the time to write down the time and started on her food, pleased to end the day with a delicious soup. She may not have been happy to be here, but if they kept feeding her such five-star quality food, she'd have a hard time leaving without taking one of the chefs with her. She chuckled at the thought.

9:00 p.m.

Much too early to sleep, Amu concluded. She picked up the book she began in the library and marched over to the bed to settle in for the night. It was a lonely day, but it was also a peaceful day; granted if she forgot she was being kept here against her will.

Over the course of three days, Amu was hit with the powerful force called reality: _I'm stuck here… without my friends or family; alone._ Although some mornings she woke up, able to keep her emotions in check, some days were just too real for her that try as she may, holding in all of her tears was proving to be more and more impossible. However, she was able to soothe herself with false optimism. Her self-medicating system was quite impressive actually; where she thought she'd buckle under the weight of it all, her dose of hopefulness got her through another day. And that made her feel powerful. Being left in her own thoughts for so long without any outside communication was dangerous; even desperate enough to hope that Ikuto would visit so she wouldn't visit the darkest parts of her mind so often. The books did so much to kill time as well as to distract her. In addition to doing her routine check up on all corners of this large cage and she was met with the same locked doors, she did find a few interesting knick-knacks though they proved to be as entertaining as watching a beard grow.

She sat in the library, her book in her lap and her thoughts consuming her. Amu frowned and was quite displeased with the monotony of her days lately. But so very pleased to see that her feeding schedule, (she shuddered at the word choice) was fixed. Dinner was next and Amu was ready to give her plan a try; what was there to lose?

6:55 p.m.

Amu huffed and decided to sit in the bedroom. She'd be able to hear if a door opened and then she'd make her break. It was closest to the main door and she hoped to any higher being that took pity on her that today would prove to be lucky. She pretended to be napping on the bed, a light sheet covering her body loosely and her breathing low and calm. She peeked at the clock on the nightstand and was pleased to see it was time for dinner. She waited with baited breath and although she didn't hear the door open, she certainly heard it close with a light thud. She strained her ears and was pleased to hear light footsteps heading towards the dining room. Time to make a move!

She quickly hopped off the bed and paused mid-step as the person who came in rounded the corner and was heading to the main entrance. Amu couldn't let this slip through her hands! She yelled at the blonde woman dressed in green and said woman froze mid-step. The woman peeked over her shoulder, her eyes wide at being caught and started making a mad dash to the door. Amu's feet moved just as quickly, she could feel hope running through her veins as the lady was about to close the door behind her, Amu's hands were a breath away from touching the handle. _So close!_ And then the door was locked with inhumanly speed and Amu was left with her hands on a handle that wouldn't be opening any time soon.

"Shit!" Amu growled and her hope slipped from her. _Take pity on me_, she all but thought desperately; hoping beyond hoping that the blonde woman would open up or at least offer conversation. She whimpered, biting her lips to refrain from crying just yet and began her cacophony of noisy pleas from the first day. She screamed, fussed, kicked, knocked desperately and all her efforts were for naught. She refused to give up, lasting much longer than the first day. Even when her voice was hoarse and her throat was beyond sore and her hands were not only bruised red, black and blue but bleeding a little with little cuts dotting her hands and knuckles, she blinked away all tears and started with renewed vigor. _I was just so close to escaping! _How could it escape her so easily? Five hours passed and even though her voice was dying and she was tired, she continued to knock and fuss and then she gave up. Plopping unto the floor and pulling her knees into her chest and all the tears she had been holding back this past week, came flowing. A pitiful, rage snot-bubbling weeping filled the room.

And she cried and cried and cried. Everything she's been holding in finally flowed free. And she was beginning to feel the weight of the past week disappear for this moment. It felt good. Really, really good.

She hiccupped and no more tears flowed. She felt drained and was disappointed. Disappointed she failed… but hey, it was just her first try. Many more chances were to come. Her head cleared and she gave a bittersweet smile. More chances meant she knew what to do next time instead!

Amu rested her head on her knees and worked on getting her breathing back to normal, hiccupping every so often. She smiled again as she spotted the beautiful drapery depicting the Fae couple.

The drapery moved a bit.

Amu paused and sat straighter. Wiping her tear-stained face on the sleeves of her clothes, she blinked a few times to register what she just saw. Did she see right? It was on a wall that was hidden from the view of many eyes, the drapery shouldn't be moving unless the windows were open, and if they were open, the wind wouldn't be able to reach this wall to cause such movement on the curtain. Amu snorted though, the only window she found was the one that was far too large to open. She tried; she took a chair and swung at it with enough force it should have shattered but as luck would have it, this window was made with a non-shattering material. She got up and walked over to inspect it closely.

And it moved again!

There had to be a draft somewhere and Amu placed her hand right under the tapestry and waited with baited breath. She felt it. The undeniable feeling of cold air hitting her hand. Excitement and hope washed through her veins and a shit eating grin was there splitting her face in half. She moved the curtain to the side and stared blankly at the wall. She didn't see a door-shaped passageway she was hoping was there. _There has to be more to this! _Amu thought urgently, holding on to this new shred of hope. She placed her hands on the expanse of wall and knocked on certain areas, trying to check for false walls and such. She didn't hear anything out of place, but as she passed her hand to the right, she felt a piece of the wall dip in like a button. And with confidence, she pushed back at that soft spot and that door appeared. No loud whirring noises nor a cloud of smoke appeared. Just a quiet sigh as a door-shaped indentation on the wall materialized and swung out a bit.

Why didn't she think that in a castle this big or supposedly this old, there wouldn't be secret passageways?

_Finally! _Amu all but thanked the heavens for this moment. Who said the only way out was through the front doors? She opened the door and she was met with darkness. More cold air brushed passed Amu, ruffling the skirt of her black and white kimono of varying lengths; short in the front, long at the back. She was giddy! Oh the joy at finding this!

She needed a source of light though; the passageway was much too dark to see clearly where she should go. She looked around the room and found a lighter in the writing desk of the library, spotting the full moon of the late night through the large window as she walked back to the main room. Okay, she could work with this. She paused in the bedroom and inspected the room. The coffee table's leg was a bit wobbly when she tried it out a day ago. There was some rubbing alcohol in the bathroom when she was snooping around for changes. Let's not forget that the white sheets could be used too. By the time Amu was done with ripping one of legs off the coffee table and using a pair of scissors to shred the bed linens, she knew she had materials to make a make-shift torch.

She soaked the cloth in rubbing alcohol before wrapping a generous amount on the top of the wooden handle before she stepped forward with the lighter at hand, ready to go through this new route. She was extremely excited and unable to wipe that Cheshire grin off her face. She was about to step through but realized she had no footwear nor a piece of chalk or something to help her find her way back. Amu frowned as she put down her torch and walked towards the closet in search of some shoes. She came out with a pair of slippers and went in search of yarn or crumbs or something to mark her path. She looked around the bathroom and noticed her cosmetic bag. Lightbulb! She rushed forward in search of lipstick and was pleased to find a new tube of red lipstick. Wait… maybe she should walk with the clock to know when she should return— if she should return before the next scheduled meal. She nodded and grabbed the clock too.

12:30 a.m.

Amu was ready to embark on this journey. She had everything she thought she needed. She tied the clock with a piece of cloth and hung it around her wrist as a make-shift bracelet and tucked the lipstick into her obi. After lighting the torch, she placed the lighter there as well. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Amu stepped through the door and was greeted with a seemingly never ending staircase. The walls were filled with cobwebs and it smelled dank and musty. She took a few steps down and noticed torches lining the walls on her left. It looked as if it hadn't been used in a long while. Fear crept into her mind. _What if there is nothing down here? What if this leads to an ancient burial ground? Spiders… if there are cobwebs, there are spiders around. _Amu shuddered at her thoughts. _Maybe I should go back…_ She was about to turn back but faltered and frowned before gritting her teeth. No, she was not going to run back to that cage, she got this far and she was not going to give up a chance to find a way out of here. So she continued a few steps down and as she stepped down on one specific step, she activated another button and the door behind her closed with a light thud. Amu was left with one way to go now; no turning back. _But how do I get back in now? _She shook her head. When the time came, she'd figure it out then.

_Tick, tick, tock._

The ticking of clock was Amu's only companion on this quest but she continued down the stairs, deeper and deeper and deeper it went. And just when she thought it was never going to end, it stopped abruptly and she was met with the stench of old mildew. She was on flat ground now. She took out the lipstick and made her first mark on the wall. A large red X was printed next to the last torch of the staircase. Amu decided it was safe enough to light one without the glow appearing through the secret door should anyone look for her. Hmm… she didn't think anyone would be looking for her so she didn't even think to leave a pillow beneath the sheets to provide false security. _Screw them_, Amu thought as she lit the torch; the new source of light provided extra lighting to the area and she felt a little safer. She checked the clock:

12:40 a.m.

Only a ten minute walk so far but it seemed so much longer than that. It seemed a lot colder down here too but Amu shrugged it off and continued ahead. Her torch lit the area fairly well, and she was proud she made it thus far. The area looked big but she continued forward. And after what felt like an hour but was indeed only five minutes, Amu was met with a room of six tunnels. Which one to go through? A gust of freezing cold air came out of nowhere and pushed Amu forward towards the tunnel in the centre. Strange… but she continued ahead; against better judgment that listening to the wind was not a good choice. All sanity pleaded that she should have turned around for the night but she felt compelled it wasn't just the wind… she felt compelled that it wasn't a malicious spirit leading her and she felt compelled that fate was doing more than just leading her astray. Fate was pushing her towards a scary and unexpected path but her feeling told her it was going to be okay. After all, it hasn't ever led her awry.

She placed another red X on the wall outside of the tunnel.

_Tick, tick, tock._

The ticking of the clock sounded so much louder when she finally stepped through the opening of the tunnel. Amu shuddered, not out of fear or the cold but from the feeling of passing through something… she didn't know what and she didn't have the sane mind to think about it now.

12:48 a.m.

Amu continued through the tunnel, the walls seemingly changing from its mossy covered brick walls to smooth, mossy-free stone veneer walls. What awaited her at the end of the tunnel was a large, golden door and not for one second did she hesitate grabbing the handle, pushing the door open with ease and a small whine. The room she entered smelled of old books and Amu drank it in, having a keen sense of what to expect. She noticed a ledge on the wall that held some black, shiny substance. Hmm… she dipped the torch into it and the room lit up; the fire spreading throughout the room by following the trail of what Amu now knew to be lantern oil. It finally ended at the chandelier in the middle of the room. Amu's eyes lit up with awe at the spectacle and show she received.

Amu placed the torch into one of the holders at the entrance before stepping further into the room. The room was large and shelves touching the ceiling to the floor covered all the walls with thousands maybe even more books occupying them.

"Wow," Amu spoke softly. The room held onto an antique structure of what she supposed was what the old castle once was before repairs and re-designs took place. Columns sparsely decorated the area and in no specific pattern— or at least that was what Amu could see. Though when she counted them, thirteen was the strange number she arrived at. An old but surprisingly grand clock was etched into the only empty space on the wall that began chiming and melancholy subtle dongs filled the room.

13:00 a.m.

For a moment it seemed as if time stood still, that time no longer existed but the quiet ticking of the clock resumed and Amu was released from the spell. There were a few desks in this room, piled high with books that were never finished nor returned to their original space on the wall. She walked over to one of the three desks and fingered one of the covers. She didn't understand the characters written nor did she ever see characters like those before but she shrugged it off and look at the other books only to come across the same conclusion. It was written in a different language. Amu frowned but opened a large black bound book with no title and on the first page she saw the characters written in old text she could make out:

"**Dæse Veile**," and written below was, "**Gousutokurokku**." The words sounded strange rolling off her tongue but it flowed so smoothly… sounding like **Death Veil** even if it wasn't spelt the same way. Interesting. She fingered through a few blank pages before coming across more text but it was written in the same odd characters she saw on every book on this desk so far. She sighed, just when she thought she found new information she could use, she didn't understand it. She huffed and turned around and right below the chandelier hanging in the middle of the room was an antique looking piano and Amu's heart thudded in her chest dangerously fast. Could it really be a piano? Oh it was such a beauty and Amu couldn't resist venturing closer to it. Although the instrument was covered in a thin layer of dust, when she played a few notes the vibrations of the hammer hitting the strings was undeniably in tune and did it provide a lovely shiver down her back. She blew as hard as she could causing dust to float off the keys before she sat down and ran her hands experimentally over random keys; testing how they felt and how they sounded.

Amu felt like she was under a spell as her hands ghosted over keys in ways she never had before producing a haunting lullaby. Her fingers knew where to go to continue this melody and she couldn't resist the urge to allow her fingers to move where they pleased. She closed her eyes and it did seem she really was under a spell of some sort. She thought of her first performance, of her family and of her friends. It was because of her musical skills that she was asked to go to a prestigious school of arts, graduating top of her class and earning a masters at such a young age in music: eighteen. Amu didn't think she was the brightest person out there, but certainly not the dumbest. She was told when she played by her family and friends that time stopped just for her as her fingers played the loveliest notes, evoking the most emotional high for everyone listening; the purity of her feelings just made it seem like she was glowing. It was gift she had, the school had said when they came for her after her first successful recital at fourteen. She didn't just play notes impeccably most times, she put her heart into it and anyone who heard could feel everything she felt while playing. It seemed… magical.

Shadowy, humanoid creatures began appearing; resembling the creatures that had captured her but were in smaller stages. They looked like children compared to the tall creatures that she had met. These shadowy creatures paired off and began dancing in time with the piece of music and if only Amu would open her eyes would she see just how beautiful this whole display was.

Amu's fingers slowed to a stop, lingering on an especially bittersweet note with a calm ringing, sounding throughout the room. A smile graced her face but as she opened her eyes she was startled by what she saw. Her hands flew to her mouth to stifle a blood curdling scream that was sure to attract unwanted attention. Amu stared at the creatures and they stared right back.

She blinked.

One, two, three.

And she got up all too suddenly and the stool grated against the marbled floors. She stood still, her hands still over her mouth as she breathed raggedly. _Holy shit_, was the only thought ringing through her mind. What was this?

The creatures tilted their horned heads before bowing in discord and vanishing from her sight.

Her hands fell from her mouth.

Swallowing thickly, she turned on her heals and rushed towards the door, making sure she grabbed her source of light before she numbly retraced her steps back to the long stairway. Her footsteps echoed creepily in the dark underground caverns and her skin broke out in goose flesh. She glanced at the red X on the wall beside the only torch she lit on the stairwell before hurriedly walking up the steps. She didn't know how to open the door but as she neared the top of the steps, one of the tiny shadowy creatures sat quietly on the torch handle. As it noticed her shivering form, it bowed its ghostly head and pointed at the handle before disappearing. With shaking hands, Amu placed her torch in one of the free torch holders and pulled on the staff the creature was once on. The door popped open and Amu quickly extinguished her torch and left it at the top of stairwell in the empty torch holder before she stepped back into her cage. The door closed behind her and the tapestry fell into place as if it was never disturbed.

Amu dully put her shoes back into the closet, hidden from view, before placing the ruined lipstick in its cosmetic bag. She laid down in bed with the covers piled high around her and she called on sleep. Her form shaking every so often. Not because she was cold but because she was shaken by what she experienced today.

Her clock, placed back on its original place on the nightstand, ticked softly.

_Tick, tick, tock._

13:45 a.m.

Her eyes drooped and all she saw was black.

Light filtered through the opened curtains on the window and it cast a soft morning lilac glow on Amu. Her nose twitched and her eyes fluttered open. It took Amu a few moments to register where she was and what had happened. She wanted to forget what happened last night. But it burned brightly in her memories. She got out of bed and yawned, stretching her limbs before heading to the bathroom to do her morning routine. She stepped out of shower and what awaited her shocked her into stillness.

Standing in a line and waiting patiently were four young women perhaps a year or two older than herself but nonetheless still young. Amu soaked their appearances in. Starting from the left, Amu saw a woman with long pink hair kept in a high ponytail with eyes in the same striking colour as her hair.

"Hello, I'm Ran," she spoke, excitement clear in her voice.

The next woman had short, blue stylish hair also accompanied by matching blue eyes. "Miki," she spoke calmly with an undertone of curiosity.

As Amu continued down the line, she couldn't help shaking off the dreaded feeling she had. Her eyes stopped and stared hard against green eyes at the blonde woman whom she remembered was the same heartless person that left her locked whilst she was pleading for help. Her hair was worn in low pony tails.

"I'm Su," she spoke softly and smiled with a wince in response to Amu's cold stare.

"I'm Dia," the fourth woman spoke, drawing Amu's attention. She had high twin ponytails of carrot coloured hair. Her eyes were deathly quiet.

Amu ground her teeth in aggravation and boy was she pissed. They had the gall to appear before her as if everything she went through over the week had never happened. After she was forced to not see much less communicate with anyone over the past week, Amu was in a bitter mood now that she was allowed contact. She picked up the object nearest to her which so happened to be a brush and she chucked it at them.

"I don't care who you are." Her voice was cold with quieted rage. "Get out now." They were most likely sent by Ikuto. She snarled at them, "Tell Ikuto he can stick this," and she flipped them the bird, "up where the sun doesn't shine."

The four girls dodged all that Amu threw at them. They were shocked to say the least, not expecting a tyrant to take care of- and a rude one at that. They gave each other a look and without warning Amu was being held back by the four girls who just materialized right behind her, stopping her hand mid throw of a can of hairspray. She froze and was shocked. What the fuck was happening? She was tired of all this and struggled against their grasp. They pulled her down into a seat and while Ran held her down, her grip much stronger than the girl appeared to be, the three girls began their work on her.

"Wait! What are you guys doing? Hey, HEY!"

They ignored her and busied themselves with the chore they were set out to do. It was all a blur. Amu may have stopped her fussy movements, knowing that wasting her energy right now was not the brightest idea. They came for her now, which meant she was going to see that snake. Boy did she have plans on what she was going to do upon contact with him. She sighed and for now allowed the girls to do as they were most likely commanded to do. It wasn't their fault they were in the positions they were in. Although her body was subdued, her mouth wasn't and Amu screamed profanities out at anyone… well, it was definitely directed to Ikuto whom she hoped was close by to hear every little dirty word she could come up with to call him. She needed to vent her frustrations out and he seemed deserving.

"You arsehole!"

* * *

**A/N: Whelp, here's chapter 3! **

**Just wanted to thank all those that followed and faved this story since the last chapter was put out. It means a lot to get any form of feedback from you guys ^^**

**Hahah, poor Amu and this chapter totally changed from what the very first outline was. I'm quite pleased with it though and I hope you guys enjoyed it as well.**

**Please feel free to leave reviews on what you thought, on what you think I should clarify on, and definitely if you see grammar errors.**

**Thanks for your support thus far!**

**One-wiTHOut-sOul.**


	4. Chapter 04 :: What You Want

**SUMMARY: ****AU. Late for a once in a lifetime opportunity, Amu takes a shortcut where her adventure begins. Not only is she kidnapped, she is told of her new status as Queen. The Prince of Shadows must marry and train her for the struggle ahead in finding Death Veil- a special mask that is and was the beginning of everything. AMUTO**

* * *

**What You Want by Evanescence**

_Do what you, what you want  
If you have a dream for better  
Do what you what you want  
Till you don't want it anymore (Remember who you really are)_

_Do what you, what you want  
Your world's closing in on you now (It isn't over)  
Stand and face the unknown (Got to remember who you really are)  
Every heart in my hands like a pale reflection_

_Hello, hello remember me?  
I'm everything you can't control  
Somewhere beyond the pain  
There must be a way to believe we can break through_

* * *

**Shugo Chara**

**Death Veil**

**Chapter 04 :: What You Want**

**Pairing: Amuto**

Amber eyes locked with amber eyes.

Lost.

Fear.

Confusion.

Anger.

Hope.

Amu saw all these emotions swirl within her eyes as memories of the past week flew through her mind. Did any of it really happen? She shook her head to clear her mind and focused on her reflection once more. She refused to get lost in her eyes again and fixated, instead, on the work the four women did on her. A small smile graced her lips. Her bangs, usually left to fall where they pleased, were now swept to the side. Hair that usually fell into her face was pulled back in cute twists and held back with silver pins. Her long hair cascaded down her back and she loved how it was full of luster. She adorned a classic black kimono with two layers of white and gold underneath. This helped draw the viewers' attention to Amu's perky breasts and a gold Obi that tucked in her slim waist. White silhouettes of crows dotted the bottom of the midnight black skirt. The gold here and there did much to bring out Amu's amber eyes. These women knew everything; what to do to bring out your greatest features. In the mirror's reflection, Amu could see the women's appreciation of their handy-work.

And Amu grinned. She felt absolutely lovely. Obviously, she wasn't dressed for a ball but she loved how elegant she looked. She spun on her heals to face them and sincere gratitude radiated off her. She really couldn't blame these girls for listening to their superior. After all, maybe they'd be punished horribly for disobeying.

"Thank you," she spoke softly though her excitement could be heard.

Ran was giddy and clapped her hands as she nodded eagerly, "You're welcome!"

"It's been a while since we assisted someone like this," Dia spoke up, her usually dead stare now soft.

Miki gladly watched Amu's outfit with pride, "The colours I chose for you does wonders for your delicate features."

Su kept quiet, her gaze leaving Amu moments at a time; Amu could see she felt guilty.

Amu bit her lip in shame before speaking up once more, "I-I'm sorry… for my behaviour— for everything actually. It wasn't at all fair to you guys who are only doing what you must." Her gaze lingered on Su the longest and she perked up as she saw the guilt slip from her eyes. A few moments passed. The women did not expect Amu to say what she did so readily, but they were pleasantly surprised by her attitude.

"All is forgiven!" Su happily spoke up.

Amu scratched her cheek, taken aback by how lovely these girls were. Even if she was here under not so great circumstances, she hoped she could become good friends with them. But she paused mid-scratch as she noticed how intently they were staring at her. She whispered, scared that maybe there was a bug around or something, "What?"

They blinked and wore small smiles as they approached her slowly and Su took her hands into her soft ones. "Let's get these bandaged."

Pity. That's what filled their eyes, Amu recognized, as they dressed her wounded hands. Looking at her hands, even Amu could feel her own pity shining through. She winced a bit as Dia disinfected the surprisingly deep cuts on her knuckles. The bruises she got from all her fighting shown through in black and blue dots and red, angry cuts. Amu didn't even realise how bad they were until her hands were both covered in white.

"Thanks" Amu smiled and was pleased to see that their pity had vanished and their smiles were friendly.

They nodded before walking out of the bathroom and into the main room. Su looked behind her, "You can follow us now."

Amu followed them to the main room and as they exited through the large double doors, she couldn't help but timidly walk through; cringing at the thought that the doors would close with a loud bang in mockery of her solitude for the week. She let out a sigh as she finally walked out of the room and into a foyer with multiple routes to take. From there on, it was all winding and twining routes that only the four women ahead of her knew of.

They arrived at large doors and with a few firm knocks from Miki and a sound of approval did these double doors open. The girls guided her through the doors and only when Amu was in a few feet did they bow and turn to leave, closing the door softly behind them.

"Wa-wait!" _Thud._ The door was closed and Amu was alone… She heard pen scratching on paper and she looked ahead to see her beloved captor sitting at a desk piled high with papers and books with knitted brows. He looked tired if Amu had a say but she cared not for him, he did her wrong and she was going to let him know. The circular office was filled with book shelves on one side and on the other side, the lilac glow of the mid-morning sun shined through the large window behind Ikuto. There was a small but adequate chandelier in his office that Amu would assume was used during the late nights of work. How much work can one kingdom have?

She walked towards him and cleared her throat to grab his attention. No response other than a glance up from his work and the adjustment of reading glasses before resuming. She never thought he wore glasses… _His sapphire eyes are kind of hidden now… what a shame,_ Amu mused before snapping back to reality. He did not have pretty eyes! She huffed and rudely pulled out a chair by his desk and sat down. She glared at him. She had so much to say and do to him but to be quite honest she didn't know if she could follow through with any of those scenarios. The problem with imagining these would-be fights is that when the time came, you become flabbergasted and unable to do or say or think what you wanted. And that's what was happening to Amu. She took a few moments to take in Ikuto's attire. He wasn't wearing his magnificent armor or the beautiful red and black haori, which Amu would have to assume was his combat attire, but a simple navy blue yukata with white Sakuras.

"It's rude to stare," and he finally looked at her. Ikuto was pleased to see how the Fuyumi sisters took care of Amu. She wore an absolutely stunning kimono and he was, if for one moment, impressed that this cantankerous girl could look so elegant. His appearance gave way to nothing of his true feelings as he stared at her with a bored expression.

"It's rude to lock someone up in a cage for a whole week without any interactions with anyone!" Amu growled. Oh boy, did it come out without stuttering and she would've pat her shoulder for a good job, but she needed to keep her wits about herself.

"A cage assumes you were mistreated and left in a cold, dank, small enclosure of wires or bars fit for birds and wild animals. As far as I'm concerned, that did not happen." Ikuto went back to scribbling on important documents. Amu was ignored again.

Amu quickly stood up, smacking her hands onto the surface of the table. She was pissed. "Excuse me? Are you quoting the damn dictionary? You know very well what I meant." She breathed in and out slowly, calming her rage so she wouldn't see red. "Do you even know what it felt like? It was lonely and barbaric and—"

"And you cried and let out your frustrations and you even injured yourself. I say you wouldn't have wanted anyone to see you in that state, let alone hold you. You seem like the type to push away all, even caring ones." Ikuto cut in, not missing a beat nor making a mistake in the work he was occupied with.

She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. How did he know? How did he know of her mental break down? How did he know she wouldn't have responded positively to anyone else's presence? You know what, fuck him. And she finally0 responded with a book chucked at Ikuto's head.

"F-fuck you!" Amu was never one to speak the ever frowned upon F word out loud. Oh sure, she thought of it often but she never felt the need to say it… until she met him. Red tinted her cheeks at her word choice; oh if her parents heard her now, she'd get an earful.

Ikuto paused his work, dodging the book and looking up from his work. The F word rolled off the pinkette's tongue with difficulty. Her cheeks pink and her eyes clearly shouting how often she spoke the word. How adorable. He laughed.

Her face reddened to the shade of cherries. How dare he laugh at her! She picked up everything she could get her hands on that wasn't heavy and chucked it at Ikuto. All the precious nicknames she bellowed out before were coming from her mouth and she was ecstatic that the right person was here to receive it all.

"You jerk face of an archaic arsehole!" The words that spewed from her mouth made sense and sounded so much better in her mind but, god, she should have not said anything. Ikuto couldn't resist the next burst of laughter erupting from him as he missed every decent throw Amu sent his way. She growled and picked up a chair and pelted it at Ikuto before storming towards the doors. She ripped them open and on the other side she was met with two snickering guards that stood frozen in place. One had long purple hair and the other had chestnut hair.

Were they listening in on what happened and didn't even come in to prevent their precious king from being hurt? They didn't think she could even hurt him in the first place! _They think I'm weak!_ She grabbed one of the staffs resting against the wall and smacked them with it before storming off through the winding hallways. She didn't know where she was going but she was bound to find one for the four great girls she'd rather spend the rest of her time with.

…

Five days since Amu was in Ikuto's office and Ikuto missed the laughter she brought him that day. After all, work was never quite an enjoyable moment. He sat back in his seat, taking off his glasses and resting his eyes for a bit. It was 9:45 p.m. He finally got everything back in order since the passing of his father… and it only took five months; great. He stretched his limbs and let out a satisfying moan as he heard bones cracking.

_Finally…_ He was free to do as he wanted and still be up-to-date with the many important documents on the Kingdom's running. He heard a few knocks at his door before whoever on the other side impatiently opened it and stormed right up to his desk. He opened his eyes and stared straight into matching sapphire eyes.

"Hey Utau," and he grinned as he saw her scowl.

Utau placed her hands on her hips and she huffed, Rima joining her moments later. The Blonde Duo, he liked to refer to them as.

"Hello Rima," Ikuto nodded to her in which she returned with a soft grunt. She wasn't much a talker usually.

"Dear big brother, why the fuck did you not let us know you were taking Amu already? What was the purpose of us being there with her if you're going to do your own thing without telling us about it first?" Utau was pissed and Ikuto relished the sight.

"Well dear sister," he opted to mock her, "it was about time I got her here. You know we have less than a year to get her to that mask. She needs to know a bit about _Shadou Okouko_ before we travel beyond the Dark Forest."

"That's no excuse to leave us in a blind spot. Her parents were so worried they bombarded us with questions that we couldn't answer and we were forced to tinker with their memories!"

Ikuto leaned back into his chair, unaffected by the information he was presented with. He hid another yawn behind a closed fist. Utau sighed, irritated that he wasn't even guilty. Truth be told, Utau agreed that Amu should be here to get acquainted with this new world… even earlier would have been better too.

"Did you at least give her your mark yet?"

Ikuto blinked. "No."

"What are you waiting for?"

"The right moment."

Azure eyes locked with azure eyes in a glare. Though Utau understood his reasoning, she refused to give him the satisfaction she was agreeing with him.

Rima spoke up, breaking the eye contact between the siblings. "We can't afford to have the knowledge that Amu exists… s_he_ will definitely come for her."

The siblings turned to Rima, "Indeed."

Ikuto leaned forward and skimmed through the final document for the night and spoke up, "Make sure the rest of the castle knows to keep her a secret, anyone who dares threaten this kingdom through treason will meet the end of my sword and no way to enter the afterlife."

The girls nodded and Rima turned to exit, leaving the siblings to their bickering.

"As I was saying, that was a jackarse of a move there Ikuto."

"If you're looking for an apology, you know you won't find one," and Ikuto continued his work for the next day.

Utau growled and turned swiftly, following her friend out of the room.

…

Ten days since that dreaded meeting with Ikuto and Amu couldn't stomach the fact that she might as well have gone there butt-naked with how embarrassed she still felt. By now she shouldn't even give two rats' tails about it anymore. Sure she was happy she had gotten to say even one eighth of what she had planned but the rest of what ensued made her look like a buffoon who couldn't control her actions or emotions. What kind of first impression was that to everyone in the castle! Why should she care though? She was planning her escape… even if it wasn't exactly in the works yet. She sighed; what's done is done.

Over the few days, Amu was trimmed and molded by her retainers in the simple ways of Queen. The simple tilt of the head to flower arranging to intricate wordplay during play-meetings. And over those few days, she had mostly mastered everything thrown at her. The girls were surprised by Amu's quick learning but it was an advantage for their King. She wasn't allowed to step foot outside of the Castle, Amu realized. She always had to have someone watching her so she wouldn't try to run and she was irritated by it. She still had yet to learn to defend herself; something she was reminded of everyday by Dia, Su, Miki and Ran. But when she was reminded of it, they never would send her to the training hall of the soldiers to get a taste of it… And every time Amu brought that suggestion up, they had always shot it down. Why? Today she was to learn of this kingdom's history. Although she disliked history, she could mow through it once it was interesting enough. Given that this was definitely not a lesson on World War I and II but of a new realm— a Simultaneous Alternate Dimension, or SAD for short, as she was oh-so-casually told just the other day.

Amu was in the library of the castle and boy was it huge. Her teacher was surprisingly quite understanding of what Amu had been through and at the moment knew a lot about her role. She was surprisingly young too, no more than maybe twenty-five years of age. But according to her retainers, Demons aged differently. Apparently, even though the sisters looked to be just about Amu's age, they were in fact over one hundred years of age— they didn't dwell on exactly how old they were. Did she mention how lovely and long her instructor's hair was though? So shiny and purple and full of luster. Every movement made the hair flow around her like it was dancing to the sound of the wind.

Fujisaki Nadeshiko cleared her throat to grab the young one's attention. Amu blinked and focused on her teacher once more. Was she really put into a daze just by watching the beautiful hair do its magic?

"Sorry Nadeshiko," and she smiled sheepishly. She was usually an excellent student; attentive in class with many inquisitions. She should be referring to her as sensei but Nadeshiko wanted none of that. She wanted to eliminate anything that would push them away from each other; she wanted them to become friends she had said.

"It's okay. What were you thinking about anyway?" her melodic voice spoke. God, Nadeshiko was a pretty woman; blessed with large bosoms, a slim waist and curvaceous hips. If truth be told, Amu might have had a crush on her and maybe even question her sexuality.

Amu frowned. Was she really that easy to read? Her instructor as well as her retainers could read her so well. "I was thinking about your hair and how soft it must be." She chuckled and hoped Nadeshiko would believe her.

It wasn't a complete lie. Amu didn't completely trust anyone— they were all working for Ikuto one way or another. They could all turn their backs on her when she needed them. Yes she had forgiven Su for leaving her crying and feeling helpless but that didn't mean she had forgotten it. It was there to remind her that she could end up right there again and be left to suffer. No one would dare disobey their King and Amu knew that although she had the title of being Queen that meant jack shit until Ikuto says she's trusted. Anything she might say could go back to him and she didn't want him knowing more about her than she did about herself. She needed him to trust her then… if she was to get a chance to leave here and return home, she needed him to trust her. She needed to trust him too, she realized. And that was out of the window as soon as she woke up in a new world with a title thrust upon her.

Nadeshiko smiled, "Thank you for the compliment but don't get distracted again." There was a soft blush on her cheeks. Amu couldn't help but return the smile. "Please read this, Amu."

A large volume was placed on the desk before Amu and she stared at the pure white cover. She looked up at her professor and back at the book. She opened the nameless book and was presented with words. Nadeshiko turned to leave Amu to her reading and her pink kimono swayed softly around her. In a world of demons, Amu honestly thought she'd be scared shitless, but she unexpectedly accepted it more or less. After all, they looked human to her… except when Ikuto had changed before her eyes. Perhaps she had always been around demons and never knew since they blended in quite well. Definitely the fact that even though she knew they were not human but looked human made her feel indifferent. Obviously she could feel they weren't exactly human now but her mind needed to accept it one way or another; even if it meant ignoring they were actually demons for the most part and seeing them as their human counter parts. The demons she met so far all had a form of alluringness, be it their eyes or their voice. But Nadeshiko seemed to be the one with the most tempting assets deeming her a beautiful creature Amu had seen yet.

Demons are blessed with beauty; to ensnare humans to do their will. And now that Amu knew that for a fact… she didn't feel like a complete idiot when she and her captor had shared a deep, knee-buckling kiss. But Amu wasn't human herself if she remembered correctly. She was one of them too. She wasn't human… she didn't belong in the human world anyway. She frowned at the thought. She had a human family, she grew up in the human world and now she had to accept being a demon. But, maybe her parents weren't human at all? Maybe they were what she was. Though, why would they keep it a secret from her? Maybe Amu was dwelling on these thoughts too much, becoming paranoid in her investigative skills on all the 'what ifs'. But if she was a demon, why did she not know she was different? She was apparently a demon yet she knew not how to change into her 'demon' form. If she was one of them, why did she not have any alluringness that they had? Was she defective? Shaking her head to clear her mind Amu returned to what was at hand. _Maybe Nadeshiko willl be back…_ Amu shrugged, being alone not as scary or as lonely as it used to be since she was now allowed to have interactions as well as leave that god-forsaken room. She began reading:

_The __**Death Veil **__was created by the five ancient dragons, also known as __**Five Hua**__, which created the human and demon world: Eristu (Earth). The __**Five Hua **__were worshipped by both humans and demons alike until a war ensued causing demons and humans to live in different parts of Eristu. The humans inhabited the world above, while the demons disappeared beneath it in a realm all of their own. However, the __**Five Hua**__ grew weak due to the war and as years passed, the humans no longer worshipped the dragons and their shrines were forgotten. The __**Five Hua**__ took refuge in the demon realm, where they were welcomed. The __**Five Hua**__ represented emblems of life: Fire, Water, Air, Light and Darkness. Before they vanished, each dragon took a drop of their blood and created the __**Death Veil**__. It is said that only the dragons representing Light and Darkness have been protecting such a relic from getting into the wrong hands. They were used to seal the mask away that is hidden on the other side of the Dark Forest._

Amu sat back in her seat, letting the information sink in. She now knew more about Death Veil's origination. Five dragons representing the emblems of life… Amu's eyes widened in realization. Those dragons were depicted on that lovely tapestry. The same tapestry that hid a secret passageway. The same passageway where she met those shadowy creatures. The same creatures she never wanted to meet again. Amu shuddered and shook her head. Her skin broke out in goose flesh at the thought and she hugged herself. She had forced her mind to stay off of that experience but it never listened, bombarding her at nights when she was trying to sleep. One of the reasons why she hadn't had any restful nights of sleep; waking up every so often out of a nightmare— be it about her family or about those creatures she met in the alcoves— since she's arrived. But then who were the Fae couple? What role did they play? She lightly smacked her cheeks to focus on the rest of the book. She continued reading and randomly flipped through the pages and landed on a particularly interesting bit of information:

_This mask allowed the user to visit the spirit world and make contracts with __Deijīsupirittsu__. __Deijīsupirittsu__ or chained spirits, allowed the user to bring either havoc or peace to get the job wanted done. After the contract is broken, when the mentioned task is fulfilled, the chained spirits are allowed to take something from the person who made the offer. The 'something' that is taken from the user is usually special. Though, if one has blood from one of the five ancient dragons in their bloodline— specifically Light and Darkness— the contract stays valid even after the task is fulfilled; making the __Deijīsupirittsu__ permanently chained to that user._

Is this what Ikuto meant by she could be the exception? Why did he need to search for this anyway? Who else was after this item? What was he going to use this mask for? She didn't bother musing anymore, raising her hand to cover a yawn. She was tired and she was sure it was late. The grandfather clock chimed and alerted Amu that it was 10:00 p.m. She got up and was surprised that Nadeshiko never once came to check up on her nor to escort her.

For the first time in ten days, Amu was without the constant watchful eyes and it felt great. She exited the Great Library and began her trek through the winding route to her room. Though she had passed a few of the staffs in the castle- all new faces to Amu- none had stopped what they were doing to pay attention to her. For once, Amu was glad to be ignored. She was left to herself to roam the halls. She could finally exit and maybe explore the outside world. Figure out how things functioned and be on her merry way out of this realm and back to what she knew to be her home. God, she was feeling home-sick; she definitely missed her friends and family. She slowed her brisk, excited walk down a notch. She shouldn't dwell on the sad feelings; she needed all the positive vibes she could get to get through this ordeal. An idea struck in her mind, perhaps the reason she was left alone was to test to see if she was really that stupid to escape the building? And if she had chosen wrong, she'd be locked up again. Determination fueled her tread and she decided to prove them wrong and headed towards her bedroom— never once straying from the path; even though she didn't know how to leave the building in the first place. Her retainers explained to her that it was both hers and Ikuto's room. Though, Ikuto was never there since she arrived. She snorted; with the rotten way he treated her so far, she should have the room all to herself anyways. Plus, she knew of secret, underground alcoves she could explore to leave this castle undetected. Given that she should get enough courage to face it again head on.

Amu was amazed by how dizzying it was to get around the castle. So far, she only knew how to get to her room, the library and kitchen. She enjoyed meeting the chefs and inadvertently found out who had produced such delicious meals for her while she was on lock-down. A chubby man seemingly in his late forties with the best Papa Bear personality she's met thus far. Anywhere else they had taken her to was a blur though. Too many stairwells and passageways and foyers she had to pass just to arrive at those destinations. But from what she saw from the inside of the castle, she deduced it was definitely a beautiful mash-up of Victorian architect, the Feudal Era of Japan and the posh modern architect. Never once did she step out of the castle though. She frowned. She stopped in front of the double doors she's come to know over the course of roughly three weeks. Time seemed to go so quickly yet time seemed to be going so slowly. Amu didn't know what to think. She sighed and opened the door to the room. She was just happy when she closed the door and the thought of stripping out of her "Queenly" attire filled her mind. Each layer of clothing fell off her shoulders and she grinned though that was short lived when she cringed, holding onto the final layer of her attire onto her shoulders when the royal blue door swung open and out walked Ikuto.

One towel hung low onto his hips and he dried his hair with another. He placed the now damp towel around his shoulders and stared blankly at Amu. He noticed her flushed and panicked face, smirking at the comical expression she wore. He never expected her to be back so quickly but he sensed her presence as soon as she walked in. In fact, he had thought she'd be either really brave or stupid, however one looked it, to try and escape. After all, he told his personnel to leave her alone for the evening. Ikuto needed to test whether her mind was stable and he was pleased with the answer. She definitely didn't back down from an unsuspecting challenge.

Amu found her voice and squeaked out, "W-Why are you here?"

"It is my room," and he walked into the bathroom and through the doors into the closet in search of his pajamas.

Amu straightened herself and re-positioned her clothing. She couldn't face him now; she wasn't ready! Everything seemed too fresh in her mind. She huffed. He seemed satisfied by her reaction and even more satisfied to see her walk through those doors. Perhaps she wasn't all that daft in thinking he was testing her. From what she had come to understand so far about him was that he liked playing mind games. He was a predator and Amu didn't like the way he played. She cleared her throat.

"Considering you haven't been using it for the past couple of weeks, I think I can deem this as my room now." Amu didn't know where she was going with this. She just knew she wanted him out of here as quickly as possible; even if technically this was his room. She wasn't prepared at all to deal with him.

He appeared again, dressed comfortably in a simple, loose yukata. Even though he preferred to sleep naked, that wouldn't do well to appear nude in front of the girl. "Who says I haven't been in here?"

"What do you mean?" _I was locked in here for a week and there was no way you could have entered right under my nose,_ Amu was scared. Perhaps she underestimated him. There was definitely more to him than she ever thought. Maybe the retainers never said anything to him about her, he had probably seen it for himself. He did say those things with such affirmation. Yet Amu found herself doubtful as she spoke, "There was no way for you to use in here without me knowing…"

He decided to sit down on the couch and closed his eyes; he really was tired and didn't care to sleep elsewhere but his room. He gave her enough time to herself and it was time to create a bond differing from the one they started out in first: captor-captive. "I've always used my quarters, even when you were here."

Amu was furious. He entered the rooms freely and without her knowledge too! He had had the freedom to do so while she was restricted. Constrained to one area for a whole week without any comfort in the form of companionship; did he not grasp that that weakened her sanity? Not to mention that although she was allowed outside of this room now, she was still being monitored and controlled. Dressed in outfits she did not see the need of wearing unless it was for special events, primed and prepped as a proper aristocrat and even the lack of sleep! It was his doing and she resented that.

He opened one eye to gage her body language as he proceeded to tell her more; he enjoyed seeing her reactions to his deliberate provocations, "It was a pitiful sight, seeing you in the state that you were that first night. You were cold yet slept right by the door and though your mind hated me, your body betrayed you; so eager for my touch as I settled you into the bed. It was… cute the way you clung to me and nuzzled into my chest."

Her body stiffened. She had wondered—but her thoughts didn't linger on it for long–how she had gotten into bed that night but she assumed in her tired state, she didn't remember. He had to be lying, she wouldn't eagerly cling to him; he was her captor! Though, she couldn't really deny that everything about him drew her in; every time she was close to him it was like she was under a spell. It had to be because he was a demon; conniving, alluring creatures! What a bastard though; his self-satisfied smirk. Her face was tinted in a pink hue as she replied, "Why… Why do you choose to tell me this now?"

"It is time that you start seeing me as someone you don't despise. You hardly know me yet I know a lot about you. I'd say it's fair that I'm willing to tell you now that you aren't trying to rip my head off." And he stretched his body as he got up and headed to the left side of the bed; the side Amu hadn't once slept on purely because she was most comfortable on the right side. He settled in and took off the light by his nightstand leaving Amu confused and in a stupor for a few moments.

"You don't know anything about me," she mumbled out in her state. What did he know of her? He was no friend of hers, he was the one who kidnapped her and treated her like a captive. He didn't know of her music skills or how it made her feel alive. He didn't know of the good, the bad and the ugly of her life. He didn't know how she felt, being dragged here to a new world and forced to roll with the waves.

He pulled the sheets over him, "I know more than you would like to believe. You've been feeling lost, afraid, confused and angry and yet you still hold onto hope. Amazing that you do given that your chances of going back to the world that you know as home might never be within your reach."

Amu blinked. How did he know her that well? She hated to admit it, but he did understand her; did seem to know more about her than she did. She was angry, why did he have such an advantage over her? It was ridiculous. _You know nothing,_ haunted her mind and she was hit with a harsh reality of how much of a disadvantage she had. She frowned. She knew that her chances were slim to return home, but to have him say it was like rubbing salt to an open wound.

She marched right over after finding herself and flung the sheets off of him, the light coming back on. "You're not sleeping in here… I refuse to sleep in the same room, much less the same bed as _you_," Amu seethed.

Her embarrassment aside, she was never trusting of Ikuto to _sleep_ with him. Absurd and complete bullocks if he thought telling her a bit of truths after so long would make things all right. Not to mention, to bitterly remind her of her situation. They weren't friends; not even good acquaintances. Did he not comprehend what their relationship was right now? And then her anger was forgotten for a moment as her eyes locked with his; he knew what he was doing— the mirth behind his eyes told her what she needed to know then. He enjoyed provoking her; riling her up! And for what, his enjoyment? Yet knowing this, she was locked under his spell again and she cursed whoever allowed her to be spellbound by him. Her heart hammered in her ears and she cleared her throat, straightening up and composing herself even if her cheeks were flushed.

"Uhm, ah…" why had she disturbed him in the first place? She shook her head, breaking eye contact with him and calming her hammering heart down in her chest. Right, now she remembered; though the anger she was willing to use before died in her throat, coming out as calm, perhaps intimidating whispers— almost breathless. "Out. Now."

Ikuto knew what he did to her; he couldn't help that his deathly, attractive pheromones attacked her so easily— almost as if she was human. He reminded himself that she was never around demons much to build up an immunity to his simple looks and words when he didn't even try to capture her. And it was addicting to see her reactions. He was much too sadistic for his own good and chuckled at the thought.

"No," he whispered back as he sat up, grabbing the back of her head and bringing her in for a chaste kiss. It was enough to damper her fight and to leave her emotionally exhausted as she fell unconscious on him. Finally he could get some sleep. Although he knew when she woke up the next day, more fighting would ensue that he'd need to calm. His pinkette was definitely, without a doubt going to be furious with him. And he relished the thought of engaging in a fight with her both physically and mentally.

* * *

**Sorry for the one week late update; I'm trying to post a chapter every one to two weeks max and well, I've gone into three weeks. Gomenasai. I had a bit of writer's block halfway through but then the Plot Bunny visited me and finally I'm able to post this new chapter. Whelp, I had so much I wanted to do in this chapter but after some thought, to fit all of it into one part would be rushing the flow of the story. Obviously there is more being revealed and more questions popping up. **

**I'm not ecstatic about the ending of this chapter, but it would have to do since the plot bunny had nothing to give me for the ending. BUT! I hope it's not a total let down and the next chapter will become much more engaging and exciting. :) **

**Thank you to those that have recently followed, faved and reviewed this story. It means a lot to see even one new review on any chapter I post. ^^ It definitely drives me to work faster on producing the next chapter as quickly as possible.**

**See you in the next chapter!**

**One-wiTHOut-sOul**


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